Captive's Kiss (6 page)

Her necklace had flickered with the reflected colored lights of Hades. Slithering like snakes, tiny bars of green had moved along the thorns. Inside the silver strands, a black stone of some kind had nestled.

If she were hiding something, what would it be? Could she be a spy? Had she had any tech devices concealed? He reached the wall and turned under water, racing back down the lane. If she’d worn a surveillance gadget, it would’ve been small and high end. And no one could make spy shit better than HQ’s own gear head, Wolfe.

What would she be looking for in Hades on the summer solstice anyway? Shit. He was thinking in circles and getting nowhere…

Wait. The black stone in her necklace. It just looked like a stone, but sometimes looks were deceiving. He strained to remember any additional details of it, but it was an understatement to say the thing hadn’t been his focus.

He switched to butterfly stroke, forcing his muscles to work in new ways, forcing his mind to find new possibilities. It could be an amulet. Though you usually needed to touch amulets and it didn’t look very accessible, locked down in all that silver.

But there were other things that could be disguised as stone. And it was worth a trip to the spell department to investigate.

Fifteen minutes later, energized and back in street clothes, Tanner jogged up the steps from the workout area and headed down the white marble halls of the Watcher compound. Never mind that it was nighttime. There was always someone working in any given department.

Pushing open the door to the spell hub, he was met with the subtle scent of cedar, the witches’ natural scent. Brown roughhewn wooden panels covered the walls.

He spotted a familiar figure hunched over a table, one fire bulb floating above her dark hair. “Hey, Mel.”

“Hi Tanner.” Melixa didn’t turn or look up. “Hang on one second…there. Done.” She straightened and rolled her shoulders.

He crossed the room to her work table and arched a brow at the tiny funnel that spun itself in a circle before her. “Mortar, pestle, funnel? You sure you’re not cooking?”

She snorted. “No. Just living the glamorous life of a witch, using basic kitchen and science tools.” She carefully set a silver charm into a box next to her. “We’ve been selling a ton of these valerian sleep amulets since the battle.”

Tanner nodded grimly. The battle had consisted of widespread fighting six months ago, where the Lash demons and four very talented females had worked to defeat a vampire who’d wanted to take over every realm.

Many had died that day, and the fallout still lingered. Anxiety in the non-predatory species. Sleep disorders. Families split apart, villages destroyed. But thankfully, no copycat wanna-be villains.

Melixa stood and brought her used equipment to a sink. “What brings you here? I thought you’d be out…you know, hooking up.” She winked. As a witch, she was unaffected by the solstice and seasonal hormones. The fertility of witches was varied and he sure as hell didn’t understand it. Some could conceive at any time, while some could not.

He scowled. He very well might be out getting laid, if not for a certain female who dominated his thoughts “I need information about a black stone.”

“Black stone, huh?” A smile danced in her blue eyes. They’d been friends for years, only friends, and that was fine. She was funny and smart, but not his in any way. She was a colleague he’d be happy to have at his back, and who he’d fight like hell to keep safe. Now, teasing sarcasm laced her words. “Your level of detail is stunning me, Tanner.”

“Smart ass.” He paced the room. “It was in a necklace. A choker-type thing.” He gestured to his neck as if his fingers could somehow show her what he saw in his mind. “It was set inside a bunch of rigid silver chains that look like tree branches. Thin, sharp ones. Kinda twisted and gnarled looking.” He frowned, wondering if the tiny thorns ever scraped at Saige’s slender neck. The thought pissed him off.

“Okay.” Melixa tapped a finger against her chin. “Did it have any markings, or colors within the surface? How big was it?”

Tanner made a circle with his thumb and forefinger. “About this big. And I didn’t notice anything else. It was dark.”

“Dark.” Melixa quirked an eyebrow. “And a necklace…that was around a female’s neck, I assume?”

“Yes.”

She walked to different table with a computer and sat. Wiggling the mouse, she tapped out a quick series of codes and a screen of different black stones popped up. She looked over her shoulder at Tanner. “You do know that it could simply be a stone, right?”

“Yeah.” He joined her at the desk, leaning closer, examining the screen. “I just think something is going on with her, but I have shit to go on. Just a hunch.”

“Well, hunches are worth looking into, especially in Watcher work.” Melixa scrolled down the page. “Problem is, a stone can be used for almost anything. We can hide a drop of liquid inside, or crushed herbs, like the valerian I was just working with. We can burn or carve words or symbols into it, adding magical qualities.” She half turned to Tanner. “Was there anything else about the stone, or maybe about the necklace, that you can remember?”

He straightened and put his hands on his hips. “The whole thing looked sort of Goth. I met her at Hades. She had a leather thing going on. It was different, but not so unusual that it drew attention.”

“Jewelry that doesn’t draw attention, on a female wearing leather on the very night of the solstice?” Melixa shook her head as she pulled up a screen of chokers with black stones. “Think harder.”

Not the necklace, but Saige’s sweet smile popped into his head. The soft look in her eyes when she’d said goodbye in the dark hallway of private rooms, just before she’d sauntered back into the throng in the main part of the club. Her blond hair was tousled from their time together, cascading past her neck to the tops of her breasts. The necklace had reflected slivers of green light, sliding along the thin bars…

Wait. That hall had been dark.

No colored flashing lights.

Nothing to reflect.

Shit, had it done that in their room too? He ground his molars in frustration. So many details that he could have picked up on, if he hadn’t been so lost to lust.

But he hadn’t been on a mission. He’d only wanted to get laid and so did she.

“What?” Melixa tossed a wadded up piece of paper at him. “That teeth grinding is about to turn all growly, if I know you.”

“The necklace had green light within it.” He shoved a hand through his hair, remembering. “Small pulses along the various sections of silver.”

“Well,
that
makes things a hundred percent more interesting,” Melixa said. “Green or blue light can indicate dark magic.”

“I know. Goddamn it, I thought it was just the flashing lights in the club.”

“That would be a very clever ruse. Hiding in plain sight.” Her fingers flew across the keys. “Did it look something like this?”

Tanner peered at the new images on the screen. “Motherfucker. Yeah, that’s a lot like what she had.” On display were several chokers, some with delicate, twisting sections like Saige’s, some with thick chain links. Some silver, some gold, some iron. Different stone options were listed along the side. He scanned the text, and what he read made his blood boil.

Species-specific metals for maximum control, amulets spelled according to your requirements. Servitude, tracking, obedience.
What the ever-loving fuck? A growl escaped his lips. “This shit is just out there, online, for sale?”

“Yes and no,” Melixa murmured. “It’s available, but it’s insanely expensive and only done through custom order. And not everyone in the realm can conduct a search like I just did. Wolfe has permanent worms in the worst black magic sites, so we can both keep tabs on what they’re selling. Or pretending to sell.”

He blew out a breath. Logically, he knew this crap existed. He faced assholes on a regular basis who would be all too happy to enslave others and use other weaker creatures for their personal gain.

But he was used to taking them down in a good hard brawl. Not this sneaky manipulative shit. Magic and spells drove him nuts. He’d take a sword fight or bruising hand-to-hand combat session any time. And Saige was wearing one of these?

“Fuck!” He clenched his fists. Words wouldn’t form in his mind, pushed out by worry for her and anger at himself.

“Did she seem wary or nervous, or like she was being watched?” Melixa asked.

“No. She just seemed like a regular Lash female, out at Hades for the same reason everyone else was.”

“Can you call her?”

“I didn’t get her number.” He cast a dark glance at the floor, where a white cat eyed him cautiously before darting across the room. “Can you contact the seller and find out who their clients are?”

“I can try, but the witches and mages who make these have layer upon layer of red tape before you get to them. Then when you find them, they’re notoriously secretive about their clientele. That’s partly why they charge so much.” She swiveled her chair around to face him. “I will try though. I’ll talk to Wolfe, too, see how well he can hack the sites.”

“Thank you.” He managed a small smile for his witchy friend. “I may just need to track her down the old fashioned way. I saw her in a shitty part of Halice this morning.”

“That works too. And it’s probably faster.”

“Agreed.” Because he would find her. And when he did, he wasn’t letting her walk away. Sweet girl or tough chick? Friendly one night, ignoring him the next day? One and one weren’t adding up to two, and his instincts roared to unravel the mystery of Saige.

C
HAPTER
6

T
ANNER AND HIS SQUAD LANDED
on the outskirts of Halice in the morning sun. Thank the gods their mission wasn’t complete and their orders were to continue combing the city. In addition to finding the Lash males, he needed to look for Saige.

And now, armed with the information that she may be in danger, he had reason to break off and pursue her if he saw her. He hoped. He turned to Aleksai as they walked through the city’s arched gate. “Sir, the female I saw yesterday may be in a coercive situation.”

Aleksai turned skeptical eyes on him. “Explain.”

“When I met her she was wearing a necklace that may contain dark magic. I spoke to Melix-”

“How do you know she’s not the one using the dark magic?” Aleksai growled. “You could be walking into a trap.”

Tanner clasped his hands behind his back, fists balled. “After consulting with Melixa about details of the necklace, I have reason to believe it’s a device used to control. I believe she may be in danger. I request permission to pursue her if we see her.”

Aleksai stopped, and the team stopped with him. He stared at Tanner, eyes narrowed, assessing. Tanner knew the male was a strict, toe-the-line type, who relished a completed, successful assignment. He didn’t like to go renegade. But he also wouldn’t stand for a weaker creature, especially a female, being used for nefarious purposes.

“Agreed, Tanner.” Aleksai finally spoke. “But only if we see her, or if you pick up her scent. You will not leave the city without telling me. And you’ll keep me updated of what you find.”

“Yes, sir. Thank you,” Tanner said. Instantly his head cleared, ready to find Saige.

Raul shot him a quizzical look. “Like a slave collar?”

“A much more subtle one,” Tanner said. “Mel showed me a bunch for sale online. They look like regular jewelry, not a huge-ass rusty metal thing around your neck.”

His teammate nodded. “Never seen you obsess over a female. I want to find her too, just to see who’s got your shorts in a wad.”

Tanner scowled. “She could be in trouble. I’m not obsessed.” No, he’d only thought about her nonstop since he’d met her. And a sudden, unfamiliar anger flared at the thought of Raul checking Saige out. What the hell? Since when did Tanner care who his friend ogled or even slept with?

He pushed the wayward emotion aside.
Find her first.
Then deal with the rest…whatever that may be. Images of the controlling chokers flipped through his mind, and the urgency to ensure her safety surged in his heart.

The team headed to another decrepit area of the city, having decided to pursue more drug dealers in search of Bach, and hopefully Snake. Crumbling buildings loomed as they approached, and low groans echoed from behind stone walls. The scent of unwashed bodies and the desperation of addiction hung in the air.

Building by dilapidated building they searched, finding only glassy eyed fae creatures. There was no sign of Snake. No one knew where Bach was though, like yesterday, some were eager to get their hands on him.

Aleksai shook his head as they exited the last building. “I fucking hate coming up empty-handed. Let’s go back to the areas where we know these boys frequented. Maybe we missed something yesterday, or maybe there’ll be new faces to question today.”

They walked back toward the nicer part of town. The sidewalks became neater, accented with flowers popping up from the grass instead of scruffy, determined weeds. The green expanse of a park stretched out ahead. Tanner scanned it but didn’t detect any of the scents that accompanied addicts and dealers. No, just college students, some baby sitters-

He inhaled sharply.
Saige.

“She’s here.” Feet frozen, he stopped and drew another breath, taking in her scent deeply like he couldn’t live without it. Eyes darting left to right, he scanned the trees.

“You sure?” Aleksai asked.

Tanner nodded. “I’ll get back to you.” He took off at a jog, toward a cluster of assorted demons and fae talking under a big oak.

Saige’s scent grew stronger, but then seemed to dissipate. She’d been here, very recently. She couldn’t be far. He slowed, eyes roving the group. No one paid him any attention.

He rounded the tree and found himself looking down a double row of tall moss draped trees. They lined a lengthy stone path that led to some of the campus buildings.

And standing in the middle of the path, down a hundred feet, with a Lash male, was Saige.

Gods, she was beautiful. She looked sleek and tough somehow, but her vulnerability spilled through her scent.